It's Time To Play
by Laurenreynoldsisnotdead
Summary: Hotch is watching Henry for JJ and Will, but an uninvited guest shows up and Henry and Jack find themselves in the hands of a notorious serial killer REVIEW
1. Chapter 1

"Henry, Will, come on, we're gonna be late!" JJ called from her room, putting her ear rings in.

She and Will had to go to an annual dinner for Metro PD, meaning Henry was going to stay with his best friend. Jack.

Henry ran into the room and grabbed his mom's legs, almost knocking her over. He couldn't even breathe from laughing. That's when Will followed.

"I'm gonna get you!" He said, laughing along with the little boy.

"Mommy, save me!" Henry squealed as his father peeled him off and began tickling him.

"Hey, hey, enough, you two. We gotta go," JJ said, smiling. "Will, did you get Henry's bag ready?"

"Yup, it's downstairs."

"Okay then, I think we're good, boys," JJ said, grabbing her purse off of the bed and heading towards the door.

The drive to Hotch's house would've been a lot shorter if it weren't for Friday night traffic in DC. When they got there, Henry quickly jumped out of the car and grabbed his bag.

"Okay, bye, mommy, daddy," he said, waving to his parents.

JJ laughed, "Someone's in a hurry, aren't they? I'm gonna go talk to Uncle Aaron before we leave."

Henry ran up and opened Hotch's front door.

"Henry!" Will called out, "you can't just go inside someone's house like that. You gotta knock!"

"He's fine," said Aaron Hotchner, smiling as he appeared in the doorway.

"Henry!" Jack exclaimed; he was a few years older than Henry, but they still loved playing together.

"Hi, Jack!"

"Hotch, you're sure you got them?" JJ asked, looking at the two boys, who had already started to drag out pretty much every toy Jack owned.

"JJ, what could go wrong?" Hotch asked rhetorically. "They're fine."


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thank you guys so much for the support so far! I was actually kinda shocked by how much you liked the first chapter and I hope the rest doesn't disappoint!_**

"So, what do you two want for dinner?" Hotch asked after JJ and Will left.

The two boys shared a mischievous look.

"Ice cream!"

Aaron sent them an unimpressed, yet lighthearted, glance.

"I don't think so...how about we do pizza first, then ice cream?" Hotch suggested.

The boys looked at each other as if debating whether or not to accept his offer.

"Okay," Jack said," But only if we get to stay up until eleven."

"I don't know..." Hotch said, "Henry's parents are gonna be here pretty early tomorrow morning."

"Pleeeeeaaaaasssse, dad," Jack begged.

"Yeah, please Uncle Aaron," Henry added.

"Okay, fine," Aaron gave in, "but only if both of you eat all of your pizza. I'm gonna go order the pizza. You two stay in here and play."

Half an hour later, the three of them were sitting in the kitchen, eating their pizza. Henry took three bites and then pushed his plate away.

"All done!" He announced.

"Henry, you only ate half of it!" Hotch said, trying to not laugh.

"I'm full," Henry explained.

Jack shook his head, but he knew exactly how to get the younger boy to cooperate. "Okay well looks like I'm the only one who gets ice cream. And Henry has to go to bed at bedtime."

Henry's eyes widened as he patted his belly, "sounds like there's a little more room in there for pizza," he said.

Hotch watched both of the boys swallow their slices whole.

"Okay, okay," he said, taking the plates to the sink and then moving to the freezer, "chocolate or vanilla?"

"Chocolate!" They both screamed, hitting the table.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is really short sorry, but it's just something I did really quick before bed :-)**

After ice cream, the boys played for an hour or two before Hotch told them they should watch a movie. After a ten minute debate, the finally decided on the Lego Movie.

It was only fifteen minutes into the movie and 8:30 when the boys were completely passed out. Hotch smiled and shook his head. He knew they wouldn't make it to eleven.

He carried each of the boys upstairs and but them on opposite sides of Jack's bed before heading to his own room.

It wasn't until five hours later when he heard the loud shattering sound of a window.


	4. Chapter 4

**I may have written this on the way to school so it might be a little off lol Also I'm terrible at authors notes by the way! Enjoy :)**

Chapter Four

Jack woke up and saw his dad staring down at him. Something was wrong.

Hotch was shaking Henry awake as well when Jack started to sit up.

"What's going on?" Jack asked foggily. He looked to the left and saw the gun his dad had placed on his nightstand. "Dad?"

"Jack, listen to me, I need you to take Henry and stay in the closet. Lock your bedroom door, do you understand me?"

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, his mind playing out a thousand different scenarios, having flashbacks to the day his mother died.

"I love you," Hotch said, kissing Jack on the forehead. "You too, Henry. Listen to Jack, okay?"

Henry nodded.

Aaron got up, grabbed the gun, and walked out, trying not to look back.

"Henry, go get in the closet," said Jack, "I'll be there in a second."

"Jack, what's happening?" Henry asked, rubbing his eyes. "What's Uncle Aaron doing?"

"I don't know," Jack admitted,"but he said we have to stay in the closet."

Henry got up and walked into Jack's closet while Jack ran to the bedroom door, locked it, and ran over to Henry.

The closet wasn't huge, but it was large enough for the two to fit, with their shoulders touching.

They sat in silence for what seemed like forever until Henry started crying.

"Henry, what's wrong?" Jack asked.

"I'm scared."

"We're gonna be okay," said Jack, "my dad's gonna take care of it."

That's when the loud sound of the gunshot rang out. Henry screamed while Jack wrapped his arms around him protectively, tears filling his eyes.

"Shhh," he said, "We gotta be quiet remember. No matter what. We're gonna be okay."


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it's short but I didn't feel like doing anything longer...whoops**

Chapter Five

"Hey, what's going on?" Derek Morgan asked as he walked into the bullpen.

"I don't know," answered Spencer Reid. "Did you guys get a text from Cruz?"

"Yeah," Morgan said, taking out his phone and reading the text aloud: "Need everyone at the BAU ASAP"

"What do you think happened? Do you think something's wrong?" Asked Penelope Garcia.

"Something's gotta be wrong," Morgan answered, "It's almost three a.m."

That's when Alex Blake came rushing through the double glass doors.

"What did I miss? Is everything okay?" She asked, setting some stuff on her desk.

"We're wondering the same as you," said David Rossi, emerging from his office.

That's when Chief Cruz walked past the profilers and up the catwalk.

"Everyone to the round-table room," he said, not even stopping.

"Uh, sir..." Said Garcia, "JJ and Hotch aren't here yet."

Cruz looked down at the profilers for a minute.

"I know," he finally said.

The agents looked at each other before walking to the round-table room.

Cruz took a deep breath before starting.

"I don't know if JJ told you, but she and Will were going to a dinner for Metro PD, so they left Henry at Agent Hotchner's house for the night," Cruz began.

"And?" Morgan asked.

"And one of Hotch's neighbors called 9-1-1 when they heard gunshots about an hour ago."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Garcia shrieked.

"Is...Are they okay?" Asked Reid.

"We don't know. Hotch was shot. He's in surgery as we speak, but it doesn't look good," Cruz answered.

Morgan and Rossi were quiet, shocked, but Garcia spoke up, her voice cracking.

"W-what about Jack and Henry? They're okay, right?"

Cruz sighed and Morgan looked up at him, his eyes reddening just a little.

"They're gone. According to Metro PD, there's signs of a struggle in Jack's room, but nothing else," Cruz explained.

Everyone looked down. They knew what they had to do. They had to find Jack and Henry. They had to find the two innocent little boys who they all considered family. Before it was too late.

"Where are JJ and Will now?" Rossi asked.

"They're at the hospital with Hotch," the section chief answered.

**Sorry my chapters are so short...hope it doesn't bother anyone. And thank you for all the support; you guys are amazing :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry I've been dormant for way longer than I usually am. It's just you now how it goes with school and all. Plus, I was trying to get like a cycle going with which stories I update and when...I was gonna do ****Going Up In Flames****, but I'm really bad with coming up with ideas for that one and then (sorry this is one huge run-on sentence) my friend found this story and begged me to update it...So without further a due Chapter Seven everyone :)**

Water was hitting his face as his eyes flickered open. It was dark and his eyes hadn't adjusted yet. He could feel the dirt on the hard surface beneath him. His eyes began to get used to the dim lighting and he saw a figure leaning over him, but he didn't know who. Not until they spoke anyway.

"Jack? Jack! You awake?" The familiar voice asked.

"Henry? W-what happened?"

"I dunno," Henry answered.

"Where are we?"

"I dunno."

"Okay," Jack sighed; he looked around the room.

There weren't any windows and he couldn't really make out the shape of any objects besides what might have been some shelves.

"Jack?" Henry asked after a couple of seconds.

"Yeah?"

"You have a boo-boo," Henry said, pointing at Jack's head.

The older boy looked at him before reaching his hand up and feeling his hair, which was matted into clumps of dirt, mud, and who knows what else. He traced his hand down until he felt a scratch on his forehead. He could feel a scab forming over it. He closed his eyes.

_"Henry, shhh," Jack said. _

_"I want momma," whinned Henry as he adjusted his position in the closet. _

_"Only a little bit longer," Jack whispered. "I promise. Aunt Jennifer will be here soon."_

_He knew she wasn't supposed to come back until morning, but someone had to know something was wrong, right? And even if they didn't, he couldn't tell Henry that._

_They were silent for what felt like an eternity before they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Jack held his finger up to his mouth for Henry to see one last time. _

_They both looked forward as they heard someone struggling with the lock on the bedroom door. When they failed to open it, there was another gunshot, followed by the sound of the door flying open and colliding with the wall. _

_Jack put his hand over Henry's mouth to muffle the scream. _

_They heard more of the thumping footsteps, but this time, they were closer. The door of the closet finally opened, revealing a black figure towering over them. Henry was shaking, crying, screaming; Jack knew he had to do something. He was shaking now as well, but that didn't stop him from crawling in-between the man's legs and running towards the toy box, where he grabbed a plastic lightsabor and moved towards the man. He tried to strike him, but he wasn't quick enough. His opponent grabbed hold of the end of the stick and threw the nine year-old across the room, causing Jack to hit his head on the edge of his bed. _

Jack looked around the room once more. The full danger of the situation sinking in.

"What wrong?" Henry asked, noticing deep in thought.

"Where's dad? What did he do with him? Why isn't he here?" Jack asked, knowing Henry had no answer.

Henry started crying again. "Uncle Aaron!" He called. "Uncle Aaron!"

The only answer Henry got was a door on the opposite side of the room opening. A shiver of light slipped through, illuminating the terrified looks on the faces of both boys.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry I haven't update in like forever for me. Some family stuff went down last weekend and then I actually didnt have wifi and I wrote this while my teacher was grading essays so it may or may not be pure crap :) **

"JJ!" Morgan called from across the waiting room.

JJ looked up and the group of profilers could tell she had been crying from the redness covering her eyes and the smeared make-up covering her face. Her hand was intertwined with Will's.

"Have you heard anything?" Alex asked as they reached them.

JJ shook her head.

"Aaron's tough; he'll be okay," said Rossi.

"But if he's okay why haven't we heard anything?" Garcia asked, not really directly the question at anyone in particular. "I mean if he is okay why haven't they said anything?" Tears soaked through her lashes as she added the second part.

"Babygirl, these doctors just don't like getting people's hopes up. They won't tell us anything until they won't tell us anything until it's done," Morgan explained.

"Especially not in a situation like Hotch' s. A lot of things people normally don't expect could go wrong-" said Reid.

"What? What do you mean? Where was he shot?" Demanded Garcia.

"The text Cruz sent out when we were on our way here said he was shot twice in the mid torso. No other real specifics, but-" Reid explained.

"Wait, why didn't I get this text?" Garcia asked.

Reid shrugged. "I don't know...He probably just figured we'd tell you or maybe he just knows how you are..."

Garcia rolled her eyes and looked at JJ and Will.

"What about you guys? How are you doing?"

JJ looked at Will for a long moment and then back at the team.

"Sorry...I know you're not...Have you heard anything about Henry and Jack?" Garcia questioned.

Will shook his head. "Some guys at Metro PD are looking at Hotch' s place. They said they'd call me if they found anything but they haven't found nothin'."

JJ looked down. "I should've stayed home with Henry; I didn't have to go with you."

"Jayge, you didn't know. We hadn't gone out in forever-" Will tried to protest, but it was no use.

"Yeah well now I guess we can go out all we want, can't we? I mean we may not ever...What if we don't get him back? He's my baby. I'm not losing another baby, Will!" She said, the tears from before reappearing.

Everyone stared at her. Another baby?

That's when Jessica walked into the room and they all stopped.

"Have you heard anything about Aaron?" She asked, starting feel the tension she had just walked into.


	9. Notice

Hi, everyone! I'm so so so sorry I haven't been on here to update or read anything in forever! Between school, problems my family is having, and the fact that I don't have wifi every other week, it's been hard to actually make it on here. Luckily though, things are slowing down and I'm going to have a lot more time on my hands, but I'm only going to update my fics if people are interested. Please message me or leave a review if you want me to continue this story. Thank you. If people do seem interested I'll post a new chapter on Thursday


	10. Chapter 9

**Yay I actually finished this one early! I wasn't sure if I would or not because I got writer's block in the Middle...But it's all good. Again, thank you all so much! Happy reading!**

The profilers looked back and forth.

"We haven't heard anything," Rossi answered solemnly, but the rest of the team were still stuck on something else.

"What baby?" Garcia asked, looking at Jennifer, then at Will. "W-what's going on? What happened?"

Will, of course, just glanced over at JJ because A) he didn't even know all of the details and B) he knew it was _her_ place to tell _her _team, the other half of her family.

JJ, on the other hand, didn't move a muscle. Didn't blink an eye. She knew she had slipped up. She knew it the moment it came out of her mouth, but she couldn't take it back and she knew that her coworkers sure as hell wouldn't drop it until they knew. It wasn't as much that she cared if they knew, but how was she supposed to say it? She had had enough trouble telling Will, let alone telling them. She figured it would probably be easier in some ways. It wasn't their baby after all, but they'd be hurt that she hadn't told them. With Will, she had just told him that she was protecting him, but she knew that wouldn't work with them. She knew they wouldn't buy it. She couldn't say that she didn't tell them because of the "covert nature" of her transfer even if she wanted to because they knew everything that happened now-well, most of it. But what bothered her the most was that Aaron wasn't there. It didn't feel right revealing such a...secret without the team being complete. And that was the other thing. They were there for Hotch-and Jack and Henry of course. She didn't want anyone to be worried about the past when they had plenty to deal with in the present.

"I, um,I-" she stuttered, trying to find out where she even wanted to begin. She started trying to speak again, but...

"Family of Aaron Hotchner."

Everyone froze again, except for Jessica who migrated closer to the group. The agents started moving slowly and together, but picked up the pace and spread out just slightly.

"That's us," said Jessica.

The doctor they surrounded was taller, older. He had classic salt-and-pepper hair paired with forming crinckles and exhausted gray-blue eyes.

"All of you?" He asked, scanning the relatively large group. All of them were silent, but a few nodded. "Well, luckily Agent Hotchner's surgery was successful."

"But?" David asked, raising his eyebrows.

"But, from the looks of it, there was a struggle before his attacker shot him. Most of his defensive wounds will heal without a problem, but he took a pretty bad blow to the head."

"How bad?" Asked Morgan instinctively even though he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"He could mild-to-severe amnesia," the doctor answered. "We won't know how bad it is until he wakes up."

"How long will that take?" Garcia asked, starting to lose her voice.

"A few hours."

They all sighed and looked down. Not only was there a possibility they could lose their only witness, they could lose their unit chief. But before any of that even happened, they were losing time, which you can't get back.


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello, fellow writers and readers! If you look on my profile, you can see a pretty brief little thingy on updates. But for now, Happy Reading! Hope you enjoy :) **

"Jack, I don't like it here!" Henry cried.

"I know," Jack said, trying not to become annoyed with the younger boy's constant and repetitious complaining.

"I'm hungry," Henry continued to moan, looking over at the plates of food that the man had brought in earlier.

"No," Jack said strictly, "I told you; we can't eat anything he gives us. You know how on Halloween Aunt Jennifer checks your candy before you can eat it?" Henry nodded. "Same thing. Dad always says not to take food from strangers. That's why he always has to save kids, because of strangers."

"Is he gonna save us?" Henry asked hopefully, peaking at Jack through his blonde bangs.

Jack looked down at him. He wished he knew how long it had been. If it had been hours, or days, or weeks. It usually took his dad around a week, maybe a little bit more or less, to catch a bad guy, so he hoped it hadn't been that long yet.

"Of course he's gonna save us," Jack answered although he wasn't entirely convinced himself that he was telling the truth, "And Aunt Jennifer, and Uncle Will, and Aunt Pen, and Uncle Derek, and Uncle Spencer, and Aunt Alex, and Uncle Dave. They're all gonna save us."

"Do you think they know we're gone?"

"Of course they do," Jack answered.

"What if Uncle Aaron didn't tell them?"

Jack froze. IT was a ridiculous question, but it made him think. What if his dad _couldn't _tell anyone? What if no one knew? What if his dad was still in that house, not moving, not breathing? Jack felt his eyes burn with tears and a pang of guilt and pain and fear ran through his chest. He knew he was supposed to stay strong for Henry, but he didn't want to. He remembered all of the times he tried to act a little more grown-up than he actually was. All of the times he pretended things didn't bother him, but now, he wanted to let them bother him. He wanted to let go, but he couldn't. He had somehow stayed strong when he lost his mom, when he found out that he wouldn't have her anymore, but losing both his mom and his dad, not having either of them, that was just too much. And that got him thinking even more. What if he couldn't protect Henry? If anything happened to Henry, then he really wouldn't be able to live with himself. He couldn't imagine what that would do to his Aunt and Uncle, what that would do to the whole BAU family, actually.

As long as he could remember, he had thought of his dad as a hero. Maybe this was his chance to prove that he could do it.


End file.
